room, made its appearance and the first Mark V block (similar to Mark IV improved, but with room sizes more closely geared to actual require- ments) was almost ready for occupation by the end of March. As already mentioned, the bulk of the increase of 90,000 estate-dwellers came from the clearance of resite and squatter areas, while the balance was made up of persons coming in from the other categories given in paragraph 59, together with natural increase and authorized additions to households. The investment in estates is beginning to bring in large sums of revenue -nearly $45,000,000 during the year in estate rents, including water charges and rates, of which only 0.045% has had to be written off as irrecoverable arrears.
18. Among the various problems of estate administration, one which continues to loom large is the degree of overcrowding in the old estates. In spite of the movement of some 16,700 people from overcrowded to larger rooms on the same or another estate, by the end of the year there were still 4,470 families living at 16 sq. ft. per adult or less, at which point they become eligible to apply to move to another room. Accom- modation for the relief of overcrowding naturally tends to be at the new, less centrally-located estates, and many families are reluctant to break the local ties they have established and move to the more spacious (and better) rooms available. However, site formation has started on a new estate at Pak Tin, adjacent to the oldest estate at Shek Kip Mei, and when this becomes ready for occupation in 1968 it will undoubtedly draw off many of the overcrowded families living in the nearby estates.
19. An important amendment to the Resettlement Ordinance was made during the year, enabling the competent authority to install circuit breakers in factory premises and empowering the Governor in Council to prescribe the charges to be paid by factory tenants for these and the additional rising mains, switch gear, and other electrical equipment that may be necessary. The scale of charges was fixed at $30 an ampere.
20. The Housing Board met regularly throughout the year and com- pleted its second report in March. This report concentrates particularly on the building programmes for Resettlement and Government Low Cost Housing which, in 1964, Government set at 900,000 individual units of accommodation for the former and 170,000 for the latter during the six year period ending 31st March, 1970. The board's main recommenda- tions regarding resettlement are, first, that a beginning should be made to move away from the standard of 24 square feet per adult, and that this should be done by adopting a new Mark VI design of domestic
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